Kenya-made VW car sales at 55 in half-year

Volkswagen Polo Vivo, the first passenger car to be assembled in Kenya, has recorded sluggish sales of 55 units since its launch in December.

Orders for the car, which is sold by DT Dobie, gives it a market share of about one per cent of all saloon car sales in the country, according to data from the Kenya Motor Industry Association (KMI) and Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS).

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The motor dealer also added a warranty of three years or 120,000 kilometres but the sales performance in the six months ended June show the market is yet to warm up to the car on a significant scale.

DT Dobie will be looking at the government to boost sales of the Polo Vivo, with Industrialisation secretary Adan Mohamed having announced that the State had committed to buy 300 of the hatchbacks each year to promote its local assembly.

The car has a 1.4 litre engine, 6-speed automatic transmission, dual airbags, air conditioning, alloy wheels, under body protection, alarm, central locking and raised suspension. Other features include radio and Bluetooth connections.